


The interview

by squeakylids



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Diana Allers POV, F/M, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Tagging, Interviews, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 03:49:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12246411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/squeakylids/pseuds/squeakylids
Summary: Diana Allers was shocked when she had found out about the relationship that had blossomed between Garrus Vakarian and Commander Jane C. Shepard. Considering the animosity that still lingered between the races, and the fact that both were children of veterans of the first contact war, she had promised herself that one day, she would tell that part of the Shepard story.Finally, she has a chance... ten years later.





	The interview

Going back over my notes, bringing this aspect of Commander Shepard's life to light as the central focus of my story in comparison to the galaxy shaping events she was in the middle of, makes everything seem that much more incredible. If there had been no Saren, or Geth, or Collectors, or Reapers; even if Shepard had never been granted the title of Spectre, or been an N7, or survived Akuze, her affair with Garrus Vakarian would have cemented her place in the annals of history. Then again, it was probably due to the nature of her mission and the camaraderie that grew between Commander Shepard and now Primarch Vakarian that they even had a romance in the first place.

The very first known relationship between a Turian and a Human, and both children of first contact war veterans at that.

It was more than a little humiliating to admit that I, Diana Allers, incredible badass anchor for Battle Space and kick-ass investigative reporter, had been completely oblivious to their relationship until the final run on Earth. My own immediate xenophobia towards being attracted to a Turian was something hard to face up to even as I questioned my journalistic integrity. The revelation had sent me straight to the ship's lounge where I had tried to drown myself in whiskey. That was also the moment that I had realized that I had been adopted into the crew in my own way, as people who had been "in the know" had come to tease me for my ignorance. The teasing had all been good natured of course, Shepard didn't have a malicious crew by any means. Most had been more than happy to answer any question I'd had about their commander's situation with the Turian who very quickly was obviously her XO even if he wasn't Alliance.

When the true scope of what I had stumbled upon hit me I swore if I ever got the chance, I would tell the incredible love story I had stumbled across.

Then, Shepard did the impossible and saved the galaxy, only we lost her in the process. In the aftermath of the war, there was so much to do, so much to fix, that the story kinda slipped through the cracks. I never forgot about it though. How could I? I had still been on the Normandy, strapped into a jump seat in the cockpit as everything had happened in the final push. After seeing the live feed shuttle footage of the Commander saying goodbye to Vakarian, I had watched Vakarian's stubborn denial turn into heartbreak and mourning. He had gone from a tall, proud Turian soldier to the hollowed out shell of a man who would do right by his love, even as it killed him. One day, I had said, I would give them the attention they deserved; as people in love and not just icons. I would tell the story so that people would KNOW.

It had been ten years since the end of the war when I finally got the chance to sit down with the Primarch of Palaven for my interview. The years had obviously been hard on him with the reconstruction of his homeworld, but at the same time, he looked better than he had right after the war. There was still an air of loss that seemed to hang around him, but it almost seemed to give him a sense of dignity now, instead of making you wonder just how much longer he was going to be able to hold on.

He settled into the chair across from me and flashed me a smile.

"It's good to see you again Diana," he said as he took my hand and gave it a shake, his dual-toned voice full of genuine warmth. "It's been too long. I heard about the award, congratulations."

"Well, I don't feel like it's hard to get a lifetime achievement award when part of my career was front line on the Normandy, but thank you Primarch." I laughed.

"Please, it's Garrus," he scoffed good-naturedly before adding with a wink, "besides, we all know you just made us look good, which we appreciate."

We made small talk and caught up as his aide brought us refreshments. He introduced the young Turian to me, a boy of about sixteen named Vrilick, whose name I recognized from a report from a few months back. A small group of survivors had been found on a remote mining asteroid, having been completely cut off from everything since the end of the war. The young Turian in front of me was now working as the personal aide to the Primarch after he had apparently met the young man when he was being introduced back into Turian society.

"Did you know he was raised by a human?" Garrus asked me, his tone a little wistful after Vrilick had left.

That surprised me. Even though the animosity between the Turians and the Humans had cooled to the point of being cold, it was still unusual to see them cohabiting in any manner. He told me a little about the boy, laughing about his human mannerisms, but also pleased that he was able to introduce the kid to where he had come from.

"So, are you ready to talk to me about Shepard?" I finally asked, watching his body language.

For a moment, just a moment, he tensed. I would have missed it if I wasn't looking for it as he settled back into his seat.

"There isn't much more to write about her," he said, his voice kind of careful.

He was referencing the hundreds of books and documentaries that had come out over the years, a couple of which were in my own hand. Both of my best sellers had dealt with Shepard, the first was a biography of her life that had been a blockbuster because I had revealed that Cerberus' Illusive Man was actually Shepard's absentee father, Jack Harper. Her mother had been very forthcoming with information, and surprisingly so had Miranda Lawson with files I was pretty sure were never meant to see the light of day. My second book was my first-hand account of everything that I had experienced aboard the Normandy, my feelings and emotions, and the feelings and emotions of the crew. Most of the content had been full of the top secret information I had been privy to at the time, stuff that didn't need to be kept under wraps anymore. Needless to say, that too had been a best seller.

"I want to know about you and Shepard," I clarified.

He stared at me in tense silence for a moment.

"I want to tell your story Garrus," sitting forward I looked at him imploringly. "There is almost no mention of your relationship with the Commander, and what references there are happen to be vague. I cannot tell you how surprised the people I interviewed said they were when you and Shepard had your moment before the final push. That is probably, honestly, due to your discretion more than people being able to keep secrets, especially after all this time. I want to give your romance the real attention it deserves."

"And why do you think it deserves attention?" He finally asked me, very carefully.

"Because I saw her say goodbye to you in that shuttle."


End file.
